inferno

noun in·fer·no \ in-ˈfər-(ˌ)nō \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

plural infernos

: a place or a state that resembles or suggests hell

the inferno of war

; also : an intense fire : conflagration

a raging inferno

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Examples of inferno in a Sentence

By the time help arrived, the fire had grown to a raging inferno.
the intense heat of the raging inferno repeatedly drove back the firefighters

Recent Examples of inferno from the Web

Red inferno Manchester City’s nightmare week had the most bitter of ends on Tuesday at the Etihad.

— juan pimiento, chicagotribune.com, "Roma shock Barcelona, Ronaldo saves Real Madrid and the best of the week in soccer," 12 Apr. 2018
The series of slow-burning scandals that have besieged Gov. Eric Greitens over the last three months could soon transform into an inferno that engulfs his administration.

— jason hancock, kansascity, "Missouri braces for bombshell as report on Greitens scandals is set for release | The Kansas City Star," 6 Apr. 2018
Of course, not every relationship exposed to the inferno of Trump’s White House has melted away.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "Within Trump’s Orbit, Divorce Is the Hot New Trend," 5 Apr. 2018
Many of the 30 families, consisting of 64 adults and 23 children, that lost apartments in the Dec. 28 inferno remain in limbo, living in shelters or hotels paid for by the city.

— written by luis ferrÉ-sadurnÍ; photographs by sarah blesener, New York Times, "Finding a Home After a Fire: ‘It Feels Like Your Life Is on Pause’," 23 Mar. 2018
As Russia observed a national day of mourning and the first of the 64 victims of the inferno that engulfed a shopping mall in Siberia were laid to rest Wednesday, stories emerged of heroism in the face of the tragedy.

— NBC News, "Day of mourning, funerals in deadly Russian shopping mall fire," 28 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, the Burkhalters’ front yard had been transformed into an inferno.

— samme chittum, Smithsonian, "What Happened When a Southern Airways Flight 242 Crashed in Sadie Burkhalter’s Front Yard," 26 Mar. 2018
Hundreds of people reportedly fled the inferno at Carina Plaza, home to more than 700 families, in the nation’s southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

— laignee barron, Time, "At Least 13 People Have Died in a Fire at a High-Rise Apartment Building in Vietnam," 23 Mar. 2018
Visitors watched as the inferno spread from the dinosaur’s belly to its head, making it briefly resemble the fictional super villain Godzilla more than something out of Jurassic Park.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "Animatronic T-Rex at Colorado theme park goes ‘extinct’ in suspected electrical blaze | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inferno.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of inferno

Italian, hell, from Late Latin infernus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1834

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inferno Synonyms

Synonyms

conflagration, fire, holocaust;

Related Words

blaze, flare-up;

backfire, bonfire, brush fire, campfire, forest fire, wildfire;

arson;

INFERNO Defined for English Language Learners

inferno

noun

: a very large and dangerous fire

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for inferno Spanish Central: Translation of inferno Nglish: Translation of inferno for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of inferno for Arabic speakers

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